Dentistry For All is an organization which relies on volunteers from all aspects of personal and professional life. Our organization requires dentists, hygienists, assistants, and administrators.

Everyone involved plays a vital role in the success of the service we provide, from the oral surgeon working in Comitancillo, relieving the anguish of an abscessed tooth... to the 7-year old child back in Calgary who donates his $10.00 allowance to help provide the care... every individual involved is as important as the next.

We are proud of each and every volunteer member of Dentistry For All.

VOLUNTEER

How Can You Help?

Dentistry For All recruits and requires volunteers from all walks of life – our efforts are focused on providing the much needed dental care in the poor regions of Guatemala and Nicaragua, however, it takes more than just dentists to form a successful team! A successful mission involves efforts made on many levels – and crosses countless skill sets. Several areas, behind the scenes and along the trip itself, require volunteers to put all the pieces together ...

Trip volunteers

Dentists – including general dentists, pediatric dentists, and oral surgeons. The permanent clinic, once operational, will require all specialists including those travelling on the annual trips, as well as endodontists and potentially anesthetists as well.

Hygienists – a vital part of our team as many areas in Guatemala have very high concentrations of minerals in their diets, hence have very calculus accumulations. 90% of the patients that we see, for whatever their treatment need are, also receive a cleaning.

Registered Dental Assistants (RDAs) – Dentists can work alone – but most haven’t since dental school! Our efficiency during our mission work relies on having skilled and organized assistants amongst us – we don’t work alone in our private practices, and that means we don’t work alone abroad. A 1:1 ratio of dentists to RDAs is preferred.

Dental Students and Residents – qualified students and residents, who have permissions form their respective programs, may join the trip as treating dentists or assistants, depending o their qualifications and experience.

Repair and Maintenance – from compressor motors to dental unit hand pieces...nothing lasts forever! However, if something breaks, it affects our work, and we people to travel with us who will prevent that from happening. Each week of work at least one skilled maintenance worker is required, some locations require two. Repair talents required include small motor, compressor, dental unit and hand piece repair, electrical and plumbing. When not fixing...we always find other jobs for these talented folks!

Support worker – as essential as everyone else on this list... our support workers (2-3 per location) handle much of the supply organizing, station set-up and clean-up, sterilizing instruments, ‘crowd control’, and every other imaginable (and some unimaginable) tasks that need doing... on occasion, support workers may be called upon to assist the dentists or surgeons.

Non-travelling volunteers

Our annual mission trip is the culmination of up to a years’ work for some of our volunteers – and their work ends there. In order to ensure that we are able to travel to do our work, there is a tremendous amount of ‘on the ground’ work that needs to be done. Assistance is required in the following areas:

Bookkeeping, accounting, and legal advice

Marketing and promotion, including the development of this website!

Fundraising, sponsorship, and supply donation management

Spanish/English interpreters – to assist with correspondence and translations for trip planning and clinic needs.

How Do I Volunteer?

Dentistry For All is a 100% volunteer-run organization. Trip-volunteers are responsible for the expense of their trip, which are paid 3 months in advance of travel.

Those interested in volunteering should fill out our Volunteer application and send it back to us. Often we receive far more requests than positions available, and priority might be given to those with particular skills sets necessary for certain travel locations. Please indicate your area of interest, any previous experience, availability, and how you would like to help... someone will be in touch with you shortly.